I have been doing my research and have narrowed my choices down to Vortex Viper HD 10x42 or Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42. The Zeiss are a couple hundred more. Anybody have head to head experience with these? looking at them in the store I couldnt tell much difference but I was leaning toward the Vipers. Will be used as a hunting bino.

keeping in mind that i'm not optics guru, i recently found a great deal on a pair of 10x42 conquest hds and i couldn't be happier. i have looked through both the meostar and the conquest and i like the conquest better. take it for what you will.

Good topic. I was researching 10x42's a few months ago, but knew that I would have to wait until Christmas to buy.

I can't afford $1000 glass, so the Meostar HD and Conquest HD are out. I wish I could do a side to side comparison between the Prime HD and the Viper HD. I have looked through the Viper HD and the thinner rubber on the eye cups fit the width of my nose better.

Good topic. I was researching 10x42's a few months ago, but knew that I would have to wait until Christmas to buy.

I can't afford $1000 glass, so the Meostar HD and Conquest HD are out. I wish I could do a side to side comparison between the Prime HD and the Viper HD. I have looked through the Viper HD and the thinner rubber on the eye cups fit the width of my nose better.

The size of the ocular is the single disadvantage for many people regarding the Prime HD. Big noses, close set, or deeply set eyes may not like them. But they were born out of the continual yammering on binocular forums about flat fields and sharp edges. Like the old saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The ZEN ED 3 series is optically very close to the Prime, has the same wide view, but does have a little more curvature and the edges have a little more distortion.

The Viper HD is a great glass, but suffers in side by side with either the Prime HD or the ZEN ED (or for that matter the Vortex Talon HD) in having a narrower fov. Now the 10x Viper has a lot wider apparent fov than the 8x Viper, so that may not be much of an issue. I've had the original 8x Viper and found the fov there to be just on the verge of not quite enough for me, so I wound up trading it on the 10x.

Image quality on the Vip\oer HD and the Zen Ray models are pretty close. Differences will be personal preferences in size and feel of the binocular. Thing is you will have a hard time blowing that choice.

Steve"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted". Albert Einstein

Good topic. I was researching 10x42's a few months ago, but knew that I would have to wait until Christmas to buy.

I can't afford $1000 glass, so the Meostar HD and Conquest HD are out. I wish I could do a side to side comparison between the Prime HD and the Viper HD. I have looked through the Viper HD and the thinner rubber on the eye cups fit the width of my nose better.

The size of the ocular is the single disadvantage for many people regarding the Prime HD. Big noses, close set, or deeply set eyes may not like them. But they were born out of the continual yammering on binocular forums about flat fields and sharp edges. Like the old saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The ZEN ED 3 series is optically very close to the Prime, has the same wide view, but does have a little more curvature and the edges have a little more distortion.

The Viper HD is a great glass, but suffers in side by side with either the Prime HD or the ZEN ED (or for that matter the Vortex Talon HD) in having a narrower fov. Now the 10x Viper has a lot wider apparent fov than the 8x Viper, so that may not be much of an issue. I've had the original 8x Viper and found the fov there to be just on the verge of not quite enough for me, so I wound up trading it on the 10x.

Image quality on the Vip\oer HD and the Zen Ray models are pretty close. Differences will be personal preferences in size and feel of the binocular. Thing is you will have a hard time blowing that choice.

Thanks Klamath.

Since I've tried out the Viper HD in a sporting good store (very limited of course), and I know they fit my face, and I would rather buy non-China optics, it sounds like the Viper HD will fit the bill.

I'll place my order as soon as I get my price match response from SWFA (free S&H from other sites).

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